Final Fantasy: Rasler's Untold Story
by williamsj1013
Summary: Everyone was led to believe that Rasler was slain in the war and that he played no significant role, but what the eye sees in not always the truth. What adventures and trials await him? Can he leave his mark on history as a hero or will an untold evil consume all?
1. Prologue

A/n: I didn't realize the prologue had gotten switched with my other story that takes place after this one. So, I have re-edited it, and will be editing and redoing the other chapters as well. I had it planned out how this story would go, but changed it completely for upcoming chapters as this will now be part 1 of a kind of trilogy. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

…where am I?.. The thought seemed to echo as the man walked around the room shrouded in nothing but darkness. "Where am I?..and how did I get here? I remember a war.. Yes, the Archadian Empire invaded Nabradia in an attempt to gain control of Dalmasca. Nabradia fought back, but was it enough? I remember being there fighting against the Archadian forces, but who was I? It should be such a simple question, but the answer eludes me. I've no idea who I am or how I got from there to here, wherever here is?

Am I alive?.. I seem to be fine, I can walk and my thoughts seem to be my own although my memory that seems to be as shrouded as this dark forsaken place. What has happened to me? What manner of creature would bring me here and take my sword without killing me? I must be fine, It would seem I have no wounds, but then why does my chest ache as though I've been stabbed?..

After a few moments he gave up on trying to decipher the events that had happened to him and resigned to try to find a way out of the darkness. He walked for what seemed like days. the empty space seemed to get colder and darker with each step that he took, to the point that he could barely see but a few inches in front of him,

It had never occurred to him that silence could be deafening, but it seemed to become more and more deafening with each passing step, each breath seemed to cut the air like screams of the damned and he could hear his hear pounding like a massive drum. It seemed no matter how many steps he took there was no comfort to be found.

"Is there anyone else in here?! Anyone?!" The man yelled as he continued searching through the darkness, squinting, but seeing nothing at all. Where is everyone? Surely whatever brought me here did not just bring me alone? There must be others somewhere, but why won't they answer me!? He thought with increasing frustration. Maybe my memory eludes me because I was slain and this.. This is my hell. There is no point in going any further because who is to say that I am not simply wandering in circles and am not back to where I started? I grow tired of walking and there is no water or food anywhere to be found, although now that I think of it, I've walked for hours, maybe even a day or more, and yet I feel no hunger, nor thirst…

This place makes little sense to me! If it is truly hell, Where are the others that have been sent here, and what did I do to deserve this? Could I have really been an evil person? If so wouldn't I have dark and evil thoughts even in this place?, I don't feel like an evil person even though my memories are just out of my grasp. Maybe something happened to all of Nabradia, perhaps it was some new evil magic that cursed us all and perhaps I am only walking and searching through the darkness of my own mind? If so has anyone found my body? Will I perish if I do not waken? I only wish that something or someone was in here could that could be found that would simply give me some answers..

* * *

Walking.. Climbing….Endless walking and climbing! I can't take it anymore! I am glad that I can see now, the darkness had grown so old. I have been in this place now for what must be at least a year. I continued walking what I hoped was as straight of a line as possible, never stopping for long. Mentally, I am exhausted, but my body is the same as when I arrived I believe. After what seemed weeks or months (the time here doesn't seem to pass here the way it did in Ivalice) the cold darkness slowly faded into a faint light and I could see in the distance what appeared to be a canyon of sorts. I thought that maybe I had escaped from that miserable place into an area where I might find some form of civilization, some form of life, but I was wrong.

I had hoped this was just some dark hole in Ivalice and that I was slowly making my way out of it, but no, this place is the same as before. Only now the empty darkness has been replaced by a dull menacing sun, the once flat empty space replaced with mountains covered in sharp black rocks that have no remorse in cutting the flesh of men to the bone so that now I must tread even more carefully. The quietness that I'd grown so tired of seems to be so distant now, as the roar of earthquakes and crashing of thunder constantly fills the air. I had thought that my stay in this place would be short lived or that I might find someone that shares in my torment, but there is no comfort here to be found.

The lone man was not able to keep up with how long he had been stuck in his lonely prison but without the passing of the sun he was able to keep track only with the steps he had taken and the things he had done to occupy his time. Slowly as the time passed he gave up on seeing anything except for the barren land he had come to know. Oh how he missed the buildings he remembered, the taste of a good meal, the comfort of a soft bed. What he hated the most about this place, however, was the loneliness. He would have given anything just to have someone to talk to. He was sure he would never see anyone again. He was sure of many things, but everything changed when suddenly a bright light seemed to shine and burn its way toward him, a burning light that consumed the surroundings of that barren place and finally engulfed him in its powerful blinding gaze.

* * *

"Wake up!... Hey mister wake up!"...

"He's dead, that's why he can't hear you"…

"I don't think he's dead, I think he's just sleeping."…

"Let me poke him with this metal pointy thing I found over here. If you are right and he is sleeping this will be sure to wake him up"…."

As they continued their conversation, he began to stir. "Uhnn…wha..where am I?"

The little boy jumped up excitedly and said "You are alive! This is Warjilis. Where did you come from and who are you? Did you come from the ocean?" as he and his older sister walked in close, almost standing over him. "See Alec? I told you he wasn't dead!" she stated proudly.

The stranger struggled to stand to his feet and held his head that pounded with a great ache. "Warjilis? I've never heard of this place before. I am certain." Alec looks at him puzzlingly. Wow, you must have been in the water a long time mister, everyone knows where this is! My mom says this is one of the biggest trade cities in Ivalice." He looked at the boy as if lost in thought for a few moments. "My brother is so rude! He hasn't even introduced us yet, my name is Ellis and the stupid one is my brother Alec. We found you washed up here about an hour ago." Ellis exclaimed.

Holding on to the nearby tree for support he looked around at the land surrounding the little alcove where he was currently standing. The waves that hit the shore seemed to be coming from afar, so it must be an ocean. A city rested nearby on the very edge of the water, so that means it would have to be a city of trade, just as the boy had said, but hadn't airships taken the place of water transported trade? Up the hill from the city laid a road, a well-worn patchwork of hand-laid stones. "This place doesn't seem very different from the place I came from, mayhap I am on another land that isn't quite as advanced as Dalmasca, but how did I wash up on the shore when I have no memory of being anywhere near the water? Are there no airships that pass by?"

The children chuckled at him amusedly and said "I think you must have hit your head mister, we've never heard of Dalmasca before, and what is an airship?" This time it was the man's turn to laugh. "You mean you've never seen an airship before? Even if this place is not the same continent that I was from, surely you would have at least seen one fly by from time to time; they fly everywhere!" Alec and Ellis exchanged bewildered glances and shook their heads "The only thing we've ever seen flying are birds and sometimes those nasty monsters the soldiers keep out of the city. By the way we told you our names, but who are you? You DO have a name Don't you?" He stared at them for a moment as if looking through them "My name.. I had forgotten, but it seems more clear to me now.. My name is Rasler and I am lost.


	2. Chapter 1

The city of Warjilis seemed to be booming as the sun rose atop the distant mountains. Merchant ships came and left the port dropping off and picking up various cargo. Wagons could be seen winding up and down the streets pulled by giant yellow birds known as chocobos. These birds are viewed by many as magnificent, they are a very versatile animal. Some chocobos (such as these pulling the wagons) are domestic, while others are wild hand have been known to attack if provoked.

It was a cool fall morning and a light fog rose with the sun and drifted across the meadow, but a slight chill did nothing to dampen the spirits of the town folk. "Fresh loaves of bread 5 gil each! Only 5 gil!" exclaimed a baker happily from his booth.

"Mother can we can some bread? I'm starving." A little boy around the age of ten directed at a woman standing near him. "You have already eaten the morning meal you will just have to wait until lunch." She scolded him sternly. "But mooootherrrr! I only had one slice!" he whined.

To be such an important place of trade I can't get over how simple and how tranquil of a place this is. Rasler thought as he sat on a bench eating an apple and observing the little boy and his mother.

After being found washed up on the beach he had decided to stay in the city until he recovered his strength. It wasn't that he was wounded, he felt fine, except for the ache that had followed him from the place of nothingness. He had simply felt exhausted, as if all the walking had hit him all at once.

At first the city had seemed so strange to him. After asking many different people if they had heard of Dalmasca or if they knew what an airship was, to no avail, He had come to the conclusion that somehow he had not just been thrown in the sea and landed on another island, but somehow he had traveled back to what seemed to be a much quieter time, when airships and technology didn't exist and magic is more predominant.

This place isn't so bad Rasler thought, as far as being stranded it was much better than the place he had previously found himself in, however, as nice as this place was he knew there had to be a way to get back home. I mean he had made it here somehow? "I guess first things first, even though I have no idea where I'm going, I need to get a decent sword if I'm going to leave the city on my own." He said to himself as he walked over to the outfitter.

"How can I help you today, Sir?" the large clumsy looking man at the counter inquired. "I am in need a weapon." Rasler replied as he glanced around the shop. On one side various sets of armor lined the rock wall, ranging from shiny armor that looked as if a giant would have had difficulty keeping his balance in it, all the way to armor that was well worn to the point of almost falling apart and some that were so small they could have been worn by a small child. Across from the armor all sorts of weapons covered the wall: clubs, knives, staffs, and pretty much any size and shape of sword you could imagine. On the rear of the room, beside the shop counter, there were also many different types of shields and accessories that one could equip. some were more useful than others but Rasler was sure that each one was bound to have its purpose for somebody(although at the moment he couldn't think of any).

"As you can see we have many different swords to choose from, many different types in a range of prices. What would fancy you?" the shop keepers question almost startled him,(he had gotten a little off track), "um I guess you could say I'm not from around these parts, but I suppose I'm looking for a medium sized blade that I don't have to worry about breaking or dulling after only a few fights."

The large man seemed to study him carefully for a moment. "How much coin have ye sir? Rasler stopped for a moment and pulled a leather pouch from inside his vest. He then dumped the small pile of coins on the counter in front of the clerk. "I'm not sure how much this is worth here, but this is all that I have." He replied.

The clerk started closely examining the coins "Where about did you acquire these coins sir?" he asked bewilderedly

"I guess you could say I acquired them during my travels." Rasler replied "Is there a problem? Surely, even here they must have some value. The bread maker was more than wiling to give me enough bread and drink for my stay here for but one of them."

"I have been in this business for many years." he started "But I have only ever seen a few coins this old. The few that I've seen were in horrible condition and more than showed their age, but these look almost flawless even though I am sure that they are real. As for their worth, I cannot say for certain, but assuredly they are very old and valuable. I assume you are journeying from this town are you not?"

Rasler replied that he was leaving and that he was in need of gear and provisions for his journey. "I cannot be sure of the exact value of these coins, but I believe I can offer you more than a fair trade for them" the man said with a gleam in his eye. "What do you have in mind?" Rasler inquired. "For all of them I will gladly give you my finest rune blade that is a most beautiful weapon and is enchanted with the ability to boost the power or your magic, if you possess any, in addition I will also let you have a mythril knife which is a deadly weapon in case you are unable to use your sword." The shop owner said laying the two blades on the counter.

Rasler picked up the blades running his hand down the blades feeling their sharpness. "I believe these weapons are more than I could have hoped for. But what of armor and potions? I have no more armor than what I am wearing and no medicine or rations to speak of."

The shop owner glanced at the coins again and back at Rasler "I suppose to be fair for all of the coins I could throw in a set of mythril mail, an assortment of potions and antidotes, and a 3 days' supply of traveler's bread. I believe that is more than a fair deal and probably more than anyone else will offer you for these old coins, so I must hold firm and can offer nothing more. So? do we have a deal?" the Outfitter finally asked.

"That is far more than I had hoped for when I first came here. You are a generous man...Thank you." Rasler then equipped the armor and weapons and started to leave the shop. "By the way, you said that the coins were very old but that you had seen them before; where did you see them?"

The outfitter thought for a second. "A group of travelers came here and re-stocked with supplies some time ago, one of them said he was an engineer from Goug, the machine city, the others didn't really say much but the man that gave me the coins said that he probably wouldn't be In need of money where they were going." He said thoughtfully.

Rasler then asked him where Goug was and the man told him that it lied to the west, and that normally he would be able take a ship, but he was not sure when it would return to port because ships had been slower in returning lately. So, his best bet was to first travel to Lionel castle and then make his way there. After hearing this he thanked the outfitter and left the city.

* * *

The journey though Balias Swale started out uneventful for Rasler, his mind filled with thoughts of how the coin could possibly be old. Upon setting out from Warjilis the weather had been beautiful, aside from a slight chill in the air, and because of this he had made fast progress through the rough landscape.

However, as he got further from the city it seemed to turn progressively for the worse. It started as just a deep cold wind flowing from the ocean, but with it came the rain. It was a drizzle at first but turned into a downpour powered by a strong wind. "I can't believe the rotten luck!" Rasler thought. "The weather was perfect until I left. This place would have been beautiful and made for swift travel had the weather not turned."

Regardless of the rain and driving wind Rasler continued walking on the well-trodden path toward Lionel, and For the next few hours he made steady progress, albeit slow progress because the persistant rain had soaked and made muddy even the packed dirt, which wasn't the best conditions for keeping your balance or hurrying. He had yet to encounter any other travelers on the path or monsters so far and for that he was thankful, he hated walking in the downpour, much less fighting for his life in it.

As night began to set he came to a slight ledge near the path that provided some protection from the rain and wind. "What I wouldn't give if only I had a way to make a fire that I might dry my clothes and be able to have just a little bit warmth." He said to himself as he huddled against the wall. "Mayhap this night will pass quickly, though I doubt I will be able to sleep at all."

Resting uneasily, Rasler had managed to make himself somewhat comfortable in the midst of the rain pouring from the night sky. Looking back later he decided that he allowed himself to get too comfortable and that it might have been better if he had just kept walking through the night.

He had just started to drift off when he saw them coming. Three creatures were slowly approaching in the distance. At first in his tiredness he thought they may have been people, but as they got closer they appeared to be goblins as the people in the town had said roamed this area (their snorting as they drew near confirmed this) .

"What's a few goblins?" He said as he readied his sword. "I can take them; I shouldn't even break a sweat." He started to charge toward the goblins in front of him when suddenly a fourth goblin grabbed his arm from behind. "What the hell!?" Rasler yelled as he struggled to get loose.

He had never considered himself weak, but this thing's strength was more that he had anticipated, and if he didn't hurry the other goblins would be having a nice meal. As the goblin ripped the armor off his shoulder he remembered the knife the shop owner had given him. He drew it and stabbed the goblin over and over with his left arm until finally, the goblin shrieked and released his arm.

Not wasting any time Rasler turned and swung his now freed sword and decapitated the goblin that that had grabbed him. The sound of the shrieking goblin seemed to enrage the others and they charged toward him. He looked up from the dead goblin in time to see the second one lunge for him. To his surprise and with a lot of luck the goblin slipped in the mud and fell to the ground.

Without taking the time to marvel at this, he quickly drove his blade through its chest and then swung it again at the third goblin. This time the goblin managed to avoid his attack and tackled him. Try as he might to brace himself, the weight of the goblin combined with the loose mud caused him to lose his footing and inadvertently throw his sword a few yards away as he toppled through the mud.

"Could my luck get any worse!? Damn! I can't believe I'm getting killed by goblins. I must get up! " He yelled to himself. Looking up he saw the third goblin standing over him ready to finish him off, but, just as he was sure he was about to meet his end the light that he had experienced before started to radiate around him. This startled back the goblin that had hovered above him.

"What's happening to me?! Rasler yelled. The light that was radiating around him had been bright from the moment it had appeared, but now it blinded him. With the pulsating light came fresh waves of pain that was almost unbearable, but as he yelled his voice seemed to grow distant and in a few moments there was nothing, only blackness.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When he awoke, the rain had stopped. After coming to his senses, he began frantically looking for the goblins that had attacked him earlier, but he found no sign of them in the area where it had happened. The two dead goblins that he had killed earlier still lay where they were slain. "What in the hell happened? I thought that goblin was surely going to end me." He muttered as he picked up his weapons that were still scattered on the ground. It seemed as though there had been no one else there, but then again the rain could have easily washed away the tracks. _Maybe I just got lucky_? He thought.

After gathering all of his equipment he continued on his path to Lionel, albeit a lot more carefully than before. It struck him as odd that he had seen no other travelers on the road, being that this was a well-trodden path to the city, he had seen quite a few wagons and chocobos coming and going from this way before he left, maybe he just somehow missed them? He tried to stop thinking about that, and about how he was going to get home as he traveled as swiftly as he could.

The rest of that morning went by quickly and uneventfully, and by mid-afternoon he could see the castle in the distance, although there didn't seem to be anyone coming or going from the castle.

"Something doesn't feel right." Rasler thought as he slowed his pace toward the castle. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, although what happened earlier did not seem like just a black-out, had that been the truth, then I would surely have been dead and never woken up. Instead of being killed and eaten, the goblin was just gone. Maybe that light that I felt somehow just scared it off? If it did, Where did it come from?... I have to stop over thinking things or I'll never make it to the castle before nightfall!" With that thought and the others still lingering in the back of his mind he hurried toward the castle.

"State your business here!" the guard yelled from atop the gate as he drew near.

"I wish to seek shelter for the night, and directions for my travels." Rasler replied.

The guard looked at him untrustingly for a moment, then commanded that he may pass. Within moments the large wooden gate was lowered and the two guards standing behind it stood aside to grant him access, but seemed to be ready to strike him down without hesitation if provoked.

Deciding it would be best to not say anything else to the guards, he made his way through the gate and into the town. To say it was different than Rasler had hoped was an understatement. Most of the shops were still open, and people were coming and going, but the atmosphere was much more menacing than Warjilis had been.

Upon entering the Inn, the Innkeeper (an older, very robust man. The kind of man that spends most of his time hating everything and everyone but himself and his own wealth) glanced over the top of his old worn-out reading glasses from where he had been reading his daily paper, and said uninterestedly "Looking for a room?" as he sat down his paper.

"Yes, please. It has been a long day" Rasler replied tiredly. "It's 50 gil a night for a small room, 60 gil if you expect breakfast." The innkeeper noted.

"Uh..I um... I don't have any money, but I could trade you some medicine for a room; it doesn't have to be nice or anything, just a place to stay the night" Rasler offered.

"If you don't have any money then get the hell out of here, and stop wasting my time." He sneered angrily.

"I apologize, I wasn't trying to be any trouble; I'm just extremely drained and really need a place to rest." Rasler pleaded. The innkeeper smirked and replied "It doesn't matter to me if you're tired or dying, money is money! Seeing as how you don't have any you can get the hell out of here!"

He looked at the innkeeper in disbelief. "I understand that you need to make money, and how important it is that you do, but where I came from people actually gave a damn. How heartless are you?!"

Rasler had failed to notice the two soldiers that had walked in and now stood by the doorway. "Is there a problem here?" they demanded". "No, I was ju-" Before he could finish his sentence the innkeeper interrupted. "This guy's nothing but trouble, I was just reading my paper and this little shit came in here wanting to pick a fight. Get him the hell out of here! Throw him in jail, that's the only thing that will teach his kind!"

The guards looked as though they had hoped that he would say that as they grabbed Rasler by the arms. "He's lying, I was just trying to get a room! What kind of place is this?" They dragged him out the door and threw him onto the street without a moment's hesitation, "We don't care what your problems are, the cardinal hates troublemakers; so you best depart quickly." Rasler stood up and placed his hand on his sword. "If I Refuse?" The guards laughed and drew their swords, as if cue, four other guards approached him from his sides and rear. "Well, It looks like you're about to find out." They replied menacingly. "I'd suggest coming with us quietly, unless you want a fight you have no hope of winning." Rasler released the handle of his sword. "Alright... It doesn't seem that I have much of a choice."

...

The stale air was damp with stale humidity in the small concrete room. The only light that peeked into the room came from a small window lined with rusted metal bars. The room stank of piss and mold.

Noises from the castle above the Lionel Dungeon was drowned out by the incessant cries prisoners begging to be released. Many of whom, Rasler learned, had also been imprisoned for little to no reason.

It seemed even a glance at the royal guards could be reason enough to spend however long in this dungeon they saw fit or until they lost interest and decided you weren't worth feeding.

One person in this prison did not seem so dismayed. "So what would you say to bustin' out of here? You don't look too damn crazy and you look like you might be decent in a fight." A young man that seemed to be about the same age as Rasler, with light brown hair and green eyes, whispered from the adjacent cell smiling mischievously.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can break outta here without a little help. I'd ask the guy in the other cell, but I think he'd rather rat me out than listen to me."

Rasler sat up from the long worn-out bunk he'd be laying on and staring at the mold crusted ceiling. "I have no idea who you are either, but seeing as how I'm more than likely going to rot in here, I'm definitely listening. What do you need me to do?"

The brown haired boy put his hand under his mattress and pulled out a small metal nail. "I managed to pull this out of the wall, I know I can pick the locks on our cells, but once we get out I'll need help taking out the guards, and I don't think this nail is really gonna help us with that."

Rasler got up and walked to his cell door and looked down the dimly lit concrete hallway, then quietly sat back down next to the boy's cell "I may have an idea..

As the day turned to black night, a guard walked up and down the corridor carrying a torch in his left hand, as he kept his right hand loosely on the hilt of his sword. "Damn, I hate this wretched place. Why couldn't I have gotten regular watch duty? I say to hell with all these worthless maggots! If I had my way I'd see them all beheaded." he spat.

"That so?" a big burly guy across from Rasler's cell commented. "The way ah see it if you're sick o' this place, step in'is cell and ah'll take that burden away from ye. When I'm done with ye, guardin the prisoners will be the last of ye worries."

The guard walked up to the man's cell and spat at him through the bars. "You and your filth don't scare me. I know how to deal with your kind. I'd suggest you keep it down. I'd hate to have to execute a prisoner for disobeying orders." He snarled with a grin.

"You say you ain't scared o' me now?" The prisoner asked.

"No." he replied, looking at him disgustedly. "Sickened by you perhaps."

"Well, Wha bout them?' He said gesturing over the guards shoulder. "Wha-" the guard started as he spun around, but his sentence was cut short as arms shot around his neck choking him. He clawed at the unyielding arm around his neck, but it proved useless as his thoughts drifted into black…

"I can't believe it was that easy." The Rasler remarked, as he lowered the unconscious guard to the floor. "I am sorry if I've doubted you, but we must hurry before other guards come." The brown haired man replied. "Right. Let's get out of here!"

"Wait! Don't leave me ere, ah helped keep I'm busy. Least ye can do is return the favor." Rasler and the brown haired boy considered it for a moment. "I suppose we can let him out, I am not sure if he helped us intentionally or not, but he did help." Rasler said quietly.

"Alright" the brown haired boy replied looking at the man in the cell. "But, as soon as we're out of here we head our separate ways, and you won't say a word of either of us." He dug through the guard's pockets until he found a key to the cell"Sure thing, just get me outta here; I won't say nothing, and I'll try ta help however ah can."

The three men carefully snuck through the corridor guided by the brown haired boy that seemed to have been here before; crouching and darting to dark corners and empty closets as they made their was slowly through the castle.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of holding their breath, they could see the light coming from the cracks of the massive front doors of the castle. There was only one problem, two guards stood at its hinges, alert and prepared for battle it seemed. "What in the hell are we going to do now? The brown hair boy seethed.

"I don't know" Rasler whispered. "Even with the sword I took from the guard, there is no way I could fight both of them, but we can't just stay here, they will surely see us."

The man crouched beside them, glaring at the guards sourly. "Wait ere you boys, I wanna bust outta ere too, but ah reckon it'd be worth hangin' to knock the smug grin off one of these guy's faces. So you boys go on, I'll take care of distractin them and yall get. Y'all can come back for me if ye able." Without further warning the burly man charged at the guard furthest away. "Ah'll teach you not to wear that smug grin, thinkin you better than us!" he bellowed.

Not surprisingly, the man was no match for the armed guards. As Rasler and his new companion watched, the guards left their post, and drug him kicking and screaming profanities toward the stone hall that lead to the holding cells, but he had been right. Without the guards the two men easily lifted the bolt on the door, and as the sounds of the man yelling faded into the distance, they slipped into the night.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _"Rasler… Please don't go.. do not leave me alone.. I need you… Please stay." A beautiful woman with blond hair called, reaching her hand out from the engulfing darkness._

 _"I am sorry, but I must. It is my duty to fight at the front line with our soldiers. Do you not understand?" He answered._

 _The darkness seemed to take shape, and became a patchwork of marbled concrete and delicately carved columns in what looked to be a beautiful palace. The young woman stood a few feet from him and tears ran down her smooth face and landed on her pearl colored dress as she spoke._

 _"Do not talk to me of duty! I have many duties as well, but to fight on the front lines is foolish!"_

 _He could not bear to look at the beauty before him, for he felt shame that he was essentially abandoning her to fight in the war. He had always thought she was more than just beautiful. Even now, as she stood before him in a white dress with tears streaming trails down her soft rosy cheeks._

 _He turned and walked toward the balcony of their large room, opening the large ornate glass doors that barred the way. The fresh morning air felt good against his skin as he looked toward the sun peaking its way over the rooftops._ _He stood, holding onto the railing as he looked up at the sky._

 _He had hoped she would simply understand, because he knew that she would not change his mind. If anything she was the reason he didn't just have to fight, but wanted to. He had never been known as a coward, but living as royalty, he had never felt as though he had done anything of measure. He needed to prove he was more than just a face of nobility, if not for the kingdom, then for her. Why couldn't she just understand that? But, as her footsteps stopped beside him, he knew it was because he didn't have the courage to tell her._

 _He let out a long sigh before he finally replied. "I know that it must be hard to understand, but I have no choice. How can the soldiers that fight for us be expected to be courageous and fight for our country, if their leader cowards, safe within these walls? This is something that I must do, if not for them, then for myself."_

 _The woman walked over to the railing beside him and grabbed his hand pleadingly. "What happens if you fall? What will the soldiers do then?.. What will I do?.._

 _"What will I do if you die?.._

 _What will I do if.._

 _..._

Rasler awoke with a start, as the dream resonated in his mind. He sat up, trying to slow his breathing as he looked around the small camp. The small fire they had made was now only embers.

The cold early morning chill had already set in, but he wasn't complaining. The cold air had helped to quell the clouds of mosquitos that constantly swarmed around them feasting on the pair's exposed flesh. The trek through the swamp had been miserable, the mud and foul smelling bile of liquid had been unyielding to the travelers passage. It had taken an entire day of struggling to reach the other side of the swamp.

They had stopped only once when they had stumbled upon the remains of a recently discarded camp. There had been little of value left, but they had been fortunate enough to find an old pot to boil some water and a few worn flasks in which to store it. Lighting a fire had been easy enough, but despite seeing many frogs(and Rasler convincing himself he could handle eating anything as discusting as a frog even though the prison food had been wretched) they had been unable to catch any, and both men were still starving as they had set up a makeshift camp using small limbs and leaves as bedding against the soaked soil.

"Nightmares?" The brown haired boy asked, bringing back wood for the fire. The sudden question startled him, the dream truly had shaken him.

"I dreamt of the woman again." Rasler replied.

"The first time you had that dream in your cell, you scared the shit out of at least half the prisoners, me included." He stated, placing the pot of water on the rekindled fire. He was hesitant to pry too much into the other man's affairs, but decided that getting to better know his new companion might be worthwhile considering they currently depended on each other and he had lost his previous friends of which he had considered family. "Who was she?"

"In truth, I do not know. I believe we were very close, but her memory floats on the edge of my mind, always just out of my reach. I hope that Goug will hold at least a few of the many answers I seek." Rasler picked up the sword he had gotten from the guard and turned to leave the small camp.

"You never told me why you are headed to Goug."

Rasler chuckled before replying. "You never told me your name, so I guess that makes us even."

The brown haired boy smiled brightly. "I didn't know then if I could fully trust you. My name is Mustadio; I'm a machinist from Goug."

"A machinist!? So there ARE machines!? Are there many airships flying in Goug?" He replied with astonishment that changed to disappointment as the other man answered.

Mustadio laughed. "There hasn't been flying airships for ages! As a machinist we dig up machines and pieces of airships that had been buried and forgotten underneath Goug. If I may ask, how do you know about airships if you haven't been to Goug?"

"I know that it will be difficult to believe and you may even think that I am insane as I once did, though I know that now to not be true, but the Ivalice I remember was quite different than this one. Airships flew in the sky, numerous beyond count! Machines were everywhere! There were still lots of people that used magic, but it wasn't as predominate as it is here. Everything was just…different." He trailed off.

"So you're trying to get back there? To the place you're from that is." Rasler started to reply to his question but fell into a contemplative silence. He finished gathering his very meagre possessions, and used some of the swamp water to drown and scatter the remnants of the fire.

"Maybe those airships beneath Goug are the same airships you remember?" The question broke him from his silence and he turned sharply toward Mustadio. "What is it that you mean by that?"

"We, my father, found a device that must open a kind of doorway to other places. A spikey haired guy came through it and ran off. We ended up finding him, but that's another story." He replied, seemingly amused at the other's bewilderment.

Rasler started to reply a few times, but stopped as if unsure, before finally asking. "So your father has a device that could send me back to where I came from, if that is where I am from?"

"Well, not exactly.."

"But-"

"My father is dead, and the people that killed him pinned it on me." He continued. The revelation seemed to bring back fresh pain.

"I'm sorry. Why did they blame you for your own father's death?

"It was easy, after being branded a Heretic. As for what happened to the device, they took it after ransacking the place and destroying anything they didn't feel like taking."

"No disrespect your father or what happened, but do you know where they took the device? Is it still in Goug?"

"No problem, but I don't know where they would have taken it. Maybe to Zeltennia? Either way, I doubt theres anything left in Goug, but we might can at least get some better gear there."

Rasler wanted to head on to this Zeltennia and try to find some answers, but also knew it would be foolish, if not fatal, to try to go there with only the weapon they had, let alone without any food to speak of. So, he muttered a short "Let's go." and the pair trudged onward out of the swamp and to Goug.


End file.
